Renault Kangoo Be Bop Z.E. 44kW review | Autocar Follow @@autocar What is it? It’s a battery-powered Renault – a prototype, in fact, for the first of four all-electric models from the French company that will be coming to the market in the next three years. It’s called the Kangoo Be Bop ZE, and the car it prefigures will be the Renault Kangoo Express, a small battery-powered van due to launch in early 2011, which will be among the first mass-produced electric cars in the world, if Renault has its way. And here’s the important part: this car’s 60bhp, lithium ion electric powertrain will serve, sometimes in a slightly different tune, to power all four of La Regie’s new zero emissions breed. If this powertrain is good, therefore, it could change the way mass-produced cars are powered forever. What’s it like? Quite ordinary in almost every way but in the noise it makes. Which, coincidentally, is exactly how Renault wants it.

The Kangoo Be Bop ZE accelerates to 62mph in around 13sec, hits 81mph flat out, and has a 62-mile range, but the last figure in that list should increase to about 100 miles before it hits showrooms. Renault says it should go far enough between charges to satisfy the daily requirements of 90 per cent of European drivers. If you want to go further, you either have to find a three-phase high-speed charging station, which will restore your range in between 20 and 30 minutes, or go to a ‘quickdrop’ station to swap your depleted battery for a fresh one. That process should take just three minutes, says Renault, and also assures us that, come 2011, the network of both ‘charging stations’ and ‘quickdrop centres’ will be fully developed in the UK. There’s a discreet beep when you turn the ignition key in this car, but nothing else tells you it’s running. Move the gearlever down to D – there’s no gearbox as such, just a reducer gear on the 13,000rpm electric motor.

Now prod the accelerator though, and you’ll move away up the road more briskly than you might expect. The high-torque-at-low-rpm characteristic of the electric motor means the electric Kangoo’s quite an urgent performer up to about 45mph. Thereafter it progresses towards its top speed increasingly slowly; this car is much better suited to urban running than motorway work then. It goes like a big diesel around town and a small petrol on multilaners. Quietness is what dominates this car’s driving experience. It must be twice as refined from a mechanical perspective as a petrol-driven equivalent, probably three times as quiet as a diesel, and there’s also less noticeable noise from the chassis than you’d guess. But it goes about its business with a distant, quietly intriguing turbine whine that’s unlike any noise a combustion engine ever made; it certainly sounds fruitier than a milk float’s hum. Each of Renault’s four forthcoming electric models will have its own handling manners, but this Kangoo proves that they shouldn’t necessarily feel slow or heavy-laden, despite having 250kg of batteries on board.

The car steers, rides and corners just like any other small Renault – and that’s more than acceptably well; it’s even reasonably entertaining to zip around town in. Should I buy one? Well, probably not this very one, but the electric Kangoo certainly reflects pretty well on the three all-electric passenger cars that are coming to a showroom near you. Using this powertrain, you can imagine that Renault’s battery-powered supermini and it’s two-seater urban runabout will be about as compelling and complete car small cars get. Here’s the snag: they will also be quite expensive. Renault is aiming for prices commensurate with like-for-like mid-range diesel models, but that’s taking into account government subsidies on electric cars that, in the UK, could run to £5000. The city car, then, is unlikely to be available for less than £10,000; the supermini’s likely to cost £16k, and the Prius-sized saloon a little over £20k. Which is fine, provided the UK government’s promise of cash incentives on electric cars isn’t just pre-election bluster.

There will also be the additional cost of leasing the batteries; you didn’t expect your electric Renault to have batteries included, did you? That’s estimated to be between £100 and £200 a month. So you’ll need to do a good 10,000 miles a year in order for one of these cars to make financial sense. Which may prove challenging at first in a car capable of only 100 miles between charges, and with a still-developing charging network. Zero emissions motoring for the masses is now within touching distance, it seems - and on this evidence, it’s something to look forward to. Renault Cars - Specifications, Prices, Pictures @ Top Speed Renault cars They’re called the "Premier Edition!" Posted on by Kirby Garlitos + Alpine’ s long-awaited and highly anticipated return to the auto world took a major leap forward today when the Renault- owned company officially opened reservations for the “Premier Edition,” a limited-run version of the upcoming sports car, which, by the way still goes by the codename “A120.” So yeah, the coupe still goes nameless yet Alpine is already prepared to give early birds the opportunity to have an early Christmas present.

Ho, ho, ho, indeed! The Premier Edition will be limited to just 1,955 units, an odd number on the surface yet a significant one for the French automaker as the original Alpine brand was founded by Jean Rédélé in 1955. The company didn’t elaborate on the “exclusive appointments” featured in the Premier Edition, opting only to say that the special edition model will be available in a choice of three colors: Bleu Alpine (Blue), Noir Profond (Black), or Blanc Solaire’ (White). In addition, those who make reservations through the company’s bespoke app and make an initial payment of €2,000 ($2,110) will be afforded the opportunity to select their preferred model number, running from #1 to #1,955. The number they end up choosing will be commemorated by a plaque that Alpine will put on the car’s center console. That said, customers might want to make their reservations early because if their number of choice has been taken, they’re gonna be forced to take a different number. The #1 production model, after all, is far more appealing than, say, #516.

Unfortunately, us here in the U.S. can only watch from afar in envy because the Alpine Premier Edition will only be available to customers in Europe, specifically those from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland. Two other markets – Japan and the U.K. – will also get their allotments of the Alpine Premiere Edition, although reservations for those countries will happen sometime in 2017. Those who are interested should expect to pay anywhere from €55,000 to €60,000 ($58,100 to $63,400) for the limited edition sports car. Continue after the jump to read the full story. The Alpine brand returns with a sports car aimed at the mighty Porsche Cayman Posted on by Ciprian Florea + It took Renault about three years to transform the 2012 Alpine A110-50 Concept into a production-friendly vehicle, but we’re still at least 12 months away from the car we’ll see in dealerships.

With that in mind, I thought it’s the best time to gather everything there is to know about the production car (due in 2017) and roll out the speculative review below, which also includes a rendering based on Alpine’s most recent concept vehicle. Dubbed the 2015 Alpine Celebration Concept, the study in question broke cover ahead of the 2015 24 Hours of Le Mans and was featured again a couple of weeks later in the year at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Even though Alpine didn’t say when the production car is due to arrive, the concept looked as if it’s ready to hit the streets with minor modifications here and here. As the name suggests, the Celebration Concept celebrates six decades since Alpine was established in Dieppe, France. Also, it pays homage to the classic 1961 -1973 Alpine A110, a sports car the French built from 1961 to 1977. Introduced as an evolution of the A108, the two-door "Berlinette" was designed by Giovanni Michelotti and used a rear-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout.

Among being Alpine’s most iconic model, the A110 was also a successful race car, winning the manufacturer’s title at the end of 1973 World Rally Championship. All told, the new Alpine has a lot of heritage to build on. Updated 12/09/2016: Alpine dropped a first teaser video for its upcoming sports car, which is not also available for reservation in a first "Premiere Edition" version. This version will be limited to only 1,955 units. Continue reading to learn more about the new Renault Alpine. A convertible model and a performance-oriented version are expected to follow in the coupe’s footsteps Posted on by Kirby Garlitos + Renault’ s long drawn out plan to bring back the Alpine brand is now taking shape with the arrival of the mid-engined Alpine A120 sports car. The sports coupe is expected to make its debut at the start of 2017 ahead of the planned release sometime in the third quarter of the year. But new details have emerged about the Alpine A120 as there now appears to be plans to expand the brand’s lineup with different variants of the A120.

Word from Autocar reveals that a convertible is expected to follow the coupe in due time and a high performance variant is also in the pipeline. Details surrounding these additional variants are still being kept under wraps, but it is understood that both models are already in “advanced” development so information about them could be coming sooner than later. For now, all eyes are on the A120 as it gears up for its long-awaited unveiling, which in itself has been years in-the-making as a result of several false starts that plagued the project. But now that it’s getting close to finally becoming a real thing, the expectation is that the A120 will be using a 1.8-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that will develop close to 300 horsepower, giving it a higher output than both the 240-horsepower Alfa Romeo 4C and right about the same figure as the Porsche 718 Cayman. All of the power generated by the A120’s turbo four will likely course through a revised version of the Renault Clio RS’ s six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, allowing it to sprint from 0 to 62 mph in just under 4.5 seconds.

Once sales for the A120 commences next year, the sports coupe is tipped to get a starting price of about £50,000 to £55,000, or the equivalent of about $53,000 to $58,000 based on current exchange rates. Alpine managing director Michael van der Sande also hinted that production for the car could range from 5,000 to 7,000 units on an annual basis with models being sold in a handful of dealerships across Europe. Don’t expect the A120 to hit U.S. shores anytime soon. Continue after the jump to read the full story. Production for the Alpine sports car ended up taking priority over the hot hatch Posted on by Kirby Garlitos + The Renault Sport Clio RS16 Concept was supposed to get a production model, with recent spy shots suggesting that Renault was already doing test runs for the super hot hatch. Well, douse those hopes and dreams with water because the Clio RS16 will no longer make it to production.

A spokesman for Renault broke the news to Autocar, saying that the company came to this decision in large part because of the start of production of the Alpine sports car. Apparently, the Clio RS16 was supposed to be built at the Alpine Dieppe production facility, the same facility that will handle the production of the Alpine sports car. Seeing as the facility specializes in low volume, hand-built production cars, Renault came to the conclusion that it needed all hands on deck on the sports car, leaving very little resources on the side of the Clio RS16. Essentially, the Alpine sports car was Renault’s priority because the company had bigger and longer term plans for the model, including using it as the first in a series of Alpine models. Company execs thought about delaying the RS16’s production until the production for the Alpine sports car got off the ground, but ultimately decided it couldn’t come up with a reasonable timetable - earliest launch would’ve been 2018 - to avoid keeping its customers waiting too long. So, instead of delaying it, Renault went with icing the model completely. The news comes as a blow to a lot of people who had high expectations for the Clio RS16, myself included.

At the time of the concept’s launch last May, the super hot hatch was billed as the highest performance road-going R.S. model in history, an achievement in it of itself considering that Renault Sport was also responsible for pocket rockets like the Megane RS275 Trophy-R. At the very least, the Clio RS16 was also pegged to be a real threat in annihilating the Nurburgring lap record for a front wheel drive car that’s currently held by the Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport S. Well, the Golf GTI Clubsport’s lap record is safe…for now. Continue after the jump to read the full story. $8,000 EVs could be possible with government incentives in place Posted on by Kirby Garlitos + It’s no secret China has become the world’s largest market for electric cars and automakers from all corners of the world have taken notice and are gearing up to enter the lucrative market, all with the hope of biting off a big piece of that pie. One of these companies is Renault and part of its plan to get a chunk of the market is to offer electric vehicles in China that will cost as little as $8,000.

Yes, an $8,000 Renault electric car could happen in China, all thanks to the increasing amount of incentives the Chinese government is offering to get its citizens to buy electric cars. Right now, these incentives are nearing $20,000, and that’s per vehicle. That provides a company like Renault plenty of wiggle room to develop electric cars while not squeezing itself out on a small budget. Renault-Nissan big boss Carlos Ghosn made the prediction of sorts at the New York Times Energy for Tomorrow conference in Paris last week and while he didn’t dive into the specifics on how the company plans to navigate itself around those price points, he did say that the company is embracing the challenge of making this breakthrough because, in his own words, “it’s going to change the game.” So how exactly can Renault accomplish this goal? For one, it already has a local partnership in place with Chinese automaker Donfeng. Together, the two companies have created a local joint venture, Dongfeng Renault Automobile Co., to develop electric vehicles together with testing for a self-driving EV already set to start this month.

In addition, Renault has already indicated plans to move away from traditional engines like diesels and focus more on zero-emissions vehicles. On that note, it also has some technologies in place to help aid it in its development of electric cars, including those that are earmarked for the massive Chinese market. One such technology is the Z.E. 40 batteries that was unveiled at the 2016 Paris Motor Show with the 2017 Renault Zoe. Considering the stakes that are involved in breaking into the Chinese market, Renault looks to be making a push to be one of the first global brands to make its market on the growing market. Offering an electric car that could cost as little as $8,000 after government incentives is one way to do that. Continue after the jump to read the full story. Automakers are being forced to rethink their entire strategy for emissions compliance Posted on by Robert Moore The war on emissions has been on-going with automakers continuously pressed to lower emissions output from their vehicles year after year. Over in Europe, the strategy to meet stringent emissions regulations has resulted in the downsizing of engines and the addition of turbochargers to make up for the power deficit.

As such, the average engine size in Europe is anywhere between 1.3- and 1.9-liters. The shrinking of engines has worked well for emissions tests in Europe up until now, but according to Reuters, new on-the-road emissions testing has shown that smaller engines actually fail to meet the latest standards. This being the case, automakers are being forced to rethink their strategy, and those smaller engines could be on the chopping block. So how bad is it? Well, real-world testing has shown that most of the smaller engines currently in use – like GM’ s 1.2-liter diesel and VW’ s 1.4-liter, three-pot diesel – can produce NOx levels up to 15 times the current legal standard when driven at higher loads. Smaller gasoline engines of similar size lose fuel- efficiency and “spew fine particles and carbon monoxide.” Renault’ s 0.9-liter H4Bt engine injects excess fuel to prevent overheating, which has been found to produce massive levels of unburned hydrocarbons, fine particles, and CO2. So, what can automakers do to meet the tougher emissions regulations that must be adhered to by 2019?

Automakers have largely remained silent as to what their strategy will be going forward. But, sources have indicated that Volkswagen, Renault, and General Motors are all preparing to upsize some of their best-selling smaller engines while others will be retired altogether. All three have declined to comment on specific plans so far, but Alain Rapos – the Head of Powertrain for Renault-Nissan – said, “The techniques we’ve used to reduce engine capacities will no longer allow us to meet emissions standards. We’re reaching the limits of downsizing.” Keep Reading for the rest of the story. Renault’s decision could be attributed to its return to Formula One Posted on by Kirby Garlitos + The Renault Sport Trophy racing series made its debut in 2015 to much fanfare. One year later, the series will only finish out the 2016 season before it’s officially cancelled. The decision to cut the cord on the series comes at a point in time wherein Renault, considered as one of the most engaged and actively involved automakers in motor racing, is in the middle of reconfiguring its racing programs.

The French automaker has already exited the Formula Renault 3.5 series and with the abrupt closure of the Renault Sport Trophy, it’s once thriving Renault Sport Series program is down to Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup. That said, the series departures doesn’t mean Renault is giving up motor racing entirely. Far from it, actually, because the automaker has increased its involvement in Formula E and has even jumped back into the Formula One fray as an actual team instead of just an engine supplier for the first time in six years. Clearly, Renault is as involved in motor racing as it has always been; it’s just shifting its priorities from running its own make-series to heading back to the glamour and prestige of Formula One while also doubling down on its commitment to Formula E. While it’s hard to make sense of the rationale in starting a hyped racing series like the Renault Sport Trophy and then cutting the cord before it can even get off the ground, it’s just as hard to argue against that decision when Renault is boosting its involvement in Formula E and Formula One. Continue after the jump to read the full story.

- Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn, who said that a "massive" business plan will be announced as soon as the group acquires a 34-percent ownership of the Japanese automaker. The announcement was made at the 2016 Paris Motor Show, where Ghosn also said he is confident that legal and government authorities will approve the $2.2 billion transaction. According to him, the Renault-Nissan Alliance is already working on a thorough business plan that will be unveiled by the end of the year. “This is not a deal where we say, ‘OK, we made the deal, now let’s think what we can do together,” he told reporters. “No. The day we announce the deal, we’re going to tell you exactly what we’re going to do together. And it’s massive. It’s massive between Mitsubishi and Nissan. And also, it may be very significant between Renault and Mitsubishi.” The new Alliance will also impact how Nissan and Mitsubishi work in the U.S., but Ghosn didn’t reveal specific details. "We will have to dig more in the U.S.,” he said.

“But when you talk about purchasing, engineering, platforms, engines, plug-in hybrids — it’s massive." The Renault-Nissan Alliance was founded in 1999 and it has since linked the two companies in vehicle development and management, bringing significant savings through platform and drivetrain sharing, among another shared strategies. It’s not yet clear how Mitsubishi will function in this equation, but the Japanese company already has a cooperation agreement with Nissan in markets such as Japan and India. A new battery adds significantly more miles to the car’s range Posted on by Ciprian Florea + The Renault Zoe came to be in 2012, as part of the company’s Z.E. electric car initiative that also includes the Twizy city car and the Kangoo Z.E. compact panel van. Originally launched with a 22 kWh battery that returned a 93-mile range, the Zoe received a second battery good for 150 miles in 2015. At the 2016 Paris Motor Show, Renault announced the introduction of a brand-new battery for the Zoe.

Boasting 41 kWh of useful energy, the new stack returns an NEDC driving range of 250 miles and a real-world range of up to 186 miles. Set to go on sale in 2017, the updated Zoe will hit the streets in the same form as the original hatchback. Aside from the new battery and upgraded infotainment apps, the Zoe will carry over unchanged inside and out. However, the new battery makes it the most capable, affordable electric car on the market, at least until the Opel Ampera-e lands in showrooms. The updated electric arrived just as Renault sold its 100,000th Zoe, an impressive achievement in this market. Although not as popular as the Leaf, which sold more than 230,000 units globally as of 2016 (note that the Leaf is also offered in the U.S.), the Zoe is the best-selling hybrid in France and a notable competitor for the Nissan in Germany, the United Kingdom, and Norway. Will the more powerful battery make a difference and boost Zoe sales in Europe? Let’s have a closer look at the numbers before we draw a conclusion.

Continue reading to learn more about the Renault Zoe. Don’t expect to see a Renault Captur RS anytime soon Posted on by Kirby Garlitos + Despite the growing popularity of SUVs all over the world, Renault has decided not to proceed with plans to develop high-performance, RS-badged versions of the Captur and Kadjar SUVs. Speaking with Motoring, a senior source who works closely with RenaultSport said that those plans have been put to bed in large part because an RS SUV flies against the very identity that has given rise to the automaker’s hot hatchback performance line and the inherent risks that come with it. Apparently, there’s growing belief within Renault that a performance SUV could damage RenaultSport’s brand integrity, especially if there ends up being little demand for it. It’s a sound explanation that puts the focus on the reality of the industry that not every automaker can build a crossover or an SUV and expect it to do well just because the overall markets for these models continue to grow. Certain aspects about the automotive supply-and-demand chain have to be addressed before signing off on these models and apparently for Renault, the cons of building RS-badged SUVs far outweighed the pros of building them.

The company’s new stance is an about-face from its previous position in 2015 when there were serious considerations of adding an SUV to an RS family that only includes the Clio and Megane hot hatches. The Captur was initially thought to be the likeliest model to get an RS version in part because of its close ties to the Clio. Prototype models of the Capture RS were even reportedly built for “assessment purposes.” Now those plans have been put on ice and the expectation is that they’re unlikely to be brought back to the table in the near future. Continue after the jump to read the full story. Kp35 Turbo For Renault Clio/kangoo - Buy Kp35 Turbo,Turbo For Renault Clio/kangoo,Kp35 Turbo For Renault Clio/kangoo Product on Alibaba.com KP35 turbo for Renault Clio/Kangoo FOB Reference Price： Get Latest Price US $1-500 / Piece | 1 Piece/Pieces as the clients' demand (Min.

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An article by Konrad Schreier, printed in the Complete Book of Toyota (a bit of a misnomer since the book is mainly a bunch of reprints of gushing, “no criticism allowed” car reviews), brings up a large number of missing pieces - as does The Standard Catalog of Imported Cars. Why Toyota and not Toyoda? According to a much-quoted article in Wikipedia, the spelling change was made to make it easier to pronounce, symbolize a separation from the founder’s home life, and, possibly most importantly, because Toyota, which takes eight strokes to write in Japanese, is considered to be luckier than Toyoda. Sakichi Toyoda, a prolific inventor, created the Toyoda Automatic Loom company based on his groundbreaking designs, one of which was licensed to a British concern for 1 million yen; this money was used to help found Toyota Motor Company, which was supported by the Japanese government partly because of the military applications. The Japanese relied on foreign trucks in the war in Manchuria, but with the Depression, money was scarce. Domestic production would reduce costs, provide jobs, and make the country more independent.

By 1936, just after the first successful Toyoda vehicles were produced, Japan demanded that any automakers selling in the country needed to have a majority of stockholders from Japan, along with all officers, and stopped nearly all imports. Toyoda's car operations were placed in the hands of Kiichiro Toyoda, Sakichi Toyoda’s son; they started experimenting with two cylinder engines at first, but ended up copying the Chevrolet 65-horsepower straight-six, using the same chassis and gearbox with styling copied from the Chrysler Airflow. The first engine was produced in 1934 (the Type A), the first car and truck in 1935 (the Model A1 and G1, respectively), and its second car design in 1936 (the model AA). In 1937, Toyota Motor Company was split off. From 1936 to 1943, only 1,7,57 cars were made – 1,404 sedans and 353 phaetons (model AB), but Toyoda found more success building trucks and busses.

The Toyota KB, a 4x4 produced starting in 1941, was a two-ton truck similar to the prewar KC; it had a loading capacity of 1.5 tons and could run up to about 43 mph. The GB was based on the peacetime, 1.5 ton G1 truck, which in turn was based on the Model A1 cars. (From globalspec ). The first Toyoda truck was roughly a one-ton to one and a half-ton design, conventional in nature, using (after 1936) an overhead valve six-cylinder engine that appears to have been a clone of the Chevrolet engine of the time: indeed, a large number of parts were interchangeable, and Toyoda trucks captured in the war were serviced by the Allies with Chevrolet components. There was also a forty-horsepower four cylinder model, very similar to the six cylinder in design but rather underpowered for a truck with a full ton of capacity. An era of rapid expansion: post-war Toyota history In December 1945, Toyota was given permission by the United States military to startup up peacetime production.

Toyota Motor Corporation had learned from the American War Department’s industrial training program, which worked on process improvement and employee development; the program, abandoned in 1945 by the United States, lived on in Japan as Taiichi Ohno built kaizen and lean manufacturing around it. (From globalspec ). After World War II, Toyota was kept busy making trucks, but by 1947 it began making the Model SA, called the Toyopet, a name to stay with Toyota for decades, albeit attached to different cars. The Toyopet was not powerful and had a low top speed – 55 mph from a 27 horsepower engine – but it was designed to be cheap, and to handle the rough roads of postwar Japan. In the five years the SA Toyopet was made, 215 were made. The SD may have been more successful; this taxi version saw 194 copies in just two years. The SF Toyopet was the first truly popular Toyota car, with a modified engine (still putting out 27 horsepower) and a taxi version.

An RH model with a 48 horsepower engine came out shortly after By 1955, Toyota was making 8,400 cars per year; by 1965, 600,000 cars per year. In addition to all these cars, Toyota started producing a civilian truck named the Land Cruiser. Styled like Jeeps, the original Land Cruisers were, according to Schreier, based heavily on the legendary Dodge half-ton weapons carrier as well as the Bantam (predecessor of the Jeep) They used a bigger engine than the Jeep (their Chevrolet-clone six) and a size and configuration more like the Dodge weapons carrier, whose capacity it shares (one half ton). Starting in 1955, Toyota produced its first luxury car, the Crown, powered by a four cylinder, 1.5-liter engine with a three-speed column shift, followed by the 1-liter Corona; only 700 cars per month were made in 1955, but this rose to 11,750 in 1958, and 50,000 per month in 1964.

The start of Toyota's international sales Toyota set up a headquarters in Hollywood in 1957; the first Toyota car registered in the United States was a 1958 Toyopet, sold in 1958; the California license plate was installed by Toyota Motor Sales (USA) president Shotaro Kamiya himself, in front of the California DMV. Two vehicles were imported, the Land Cruiser and Toyopet. Neither sold well; the Toyopet was withdrawn while Toyota designed a car specifically modified for the American market – a strategy which later gave us the Avalon and Camry . Alan wrote: “I am the grandson of the first Toyota dealer in the US. It all started in Larkspur California (San Francisco Bay area). Only two vehicles were available, the Toyopet sedan and the Land Cruiser . San Francisco was where the first distribution center was set up. The highlight of my grandfather's pioneer Toyota dealership was a personal visit to his home and showroom from Mr Toyoda, the president of the company. His visit was to thank him for his being the first dealer in the US. He presented my grandfather with two Seiko watches which I still possess.

I still have all the original ads, dealer licence plate frames, and many photos of the dealership. The dealership came to a close in 1968 with the passing of my grandfather. In addition to being the first dealer he also possessed the largest classic car collection west of the Mississippi. He had over 100 classics including Hupmobiles, Packards, Reos, Dodges, Franklins, Marlots, Plymouths, Grahams, etc. In 1959, the company opened its first plant outside Japan - in Brazil. From that point on, Toyota maintained a philosophy of localizing both production and design of its products (that is, adapting vehicles to the places they will be used, as well as building them there). This builds long-term relationships with local suppliers and local labor. Part of this also means that Toyota does not merely build vehicles overseas, but also designs them there, with a network of both design and R&D facilities in North America and Europe. The first Americanized Toyota — the Tiara, otherwise known as the Toyota Corona PT20 — came out in 1964.

The six-passenger car had a 90 gross-horsepower engine (probably about 60-70 bhp net); it could reach 90 miles per hour, and was comfortable inside. One year later, the Corona was added at under $2,000; it offered an automatic and factory air as options, very unusual in imported small cars at the time (as was the engine's horsepower rating). Sales hit 6,400 in 1965, and reached 71,000 by 1968, nearly doubling each year until by 1971 Toyota was selling over 300,000 vehicles per year, a far cry from 1964's 2,000.

Toyota itself was very small in the late 1950s by world standards, and in 1963 was the 93rd largest non-American corporation in the world — but in 1966 was already 47th (in that time it went from being the 9th largest Japanese corporation to the 6th largest, and for that matter the tenth largest auto manufacturer in the world — it would steadily move up to the #3 position and will soon challenge Ford for #2). In 1967, the Corona sold for a reasonable $1,760 - a little below the smallest Big Three sedans — with a good balance of performance, gas mileage, and comfort. By 1967, Toyota had become well established in the United States, albeit as a niche player. The Corona four-door sedan was seen as competing mainly against the Volkswagen Beetle, though this was hardly fair to the modern Corona, with its relatively large interior space and relatively comfortable ride.

The Corona was known from its early days for quality as well as a low price, though rust was a serious problem until the late 1970s, causing more than one Corona to simply rust in half before it became old enough to have mechanical problems. Toyota introduced another new car to the US in 1967: the Crown , available as a wagon or a sedan. The semi-luxury car boasted a brand new 137 cubic inch in-line six-cylinder engine delivering 115 horsepower (gross) at 5,200 rpm; that is a bit more than the biggest Plymouth slant six but less than the smallest American V8. The engine was small but had seven main bearings, tuned induction, semi-hemispherical heads, and was built with lightweight alloys. The Crown came with a four-speed manual (at the time three speeds were normal) or a two-speed automatic (though most Americans were used to three speed automatics). One unusual feature was standard three-point seat belts, not to mention reclining bucket seats.

The Crown was never a big seller but it certainly did better than many foreign cars in the segment; the sedan sold for $2,635, the wagon for $2,785. (Torque was 127 lb-ft at 3,600 rpm, bore and stroke 2.95 x 3.35, 8.8:1 compression, single two-barrel carburetor. The Plymouth slant six started at 170 cubic inches by comparison, and delivered 115 hp with 155 lb-ft of torque; the 225 cubic inch slant six put out 145 hp, 215 lb-ft.) The Crown was noted for its road manners, smooth ride, and quiet interior. Soon, Toyota brought to the US the famous but rare 2000GT, which resembled a British sports car with a massive hood and nearly no cabin or trunk. The car had set 16 world speed and endurance records by 1966, with a dual overhead cam six-cylinder engine (150 hp, 121 cid) and five-speed manual transmission.

A specially made convertible version was featured in You only live twice. The 2000 GT had surprisingly slow 0-60 times of over 10 seconds, but cornering apparently made up for it, and the quarter-mile went by in a decent enough 15.9 seconds (about the same as a 1995 Neon). Not quite a muscle car, but it probably handled better than the best Detroit had to offer. Toyota also had a variety of trucks for sale in the late 1960s, as detailed in our various truck pages (see the top-of-page menu). The Corolla, to be America’s favorite small car, was first imported in 1969, two years after its first Japanese production, followed by small pickups that earned a strong reputation for reliability and durability. It was the first Toyota built in the United States, starting in 1985, at the New United Motor Manufacturing (NUMMI) facility in Fremont, California — a joint venture with General Motors.

Lexus luxury cars join the Toyota stable While Toyota built good near-luxury cars, sales of the Cressida and Crown were not especially strong, especially given the brisk trade in Corollas and Camrys. In the 1980s, when Toyota seriously looked at its lagging luxury sales, Lincoln and Cadillac had both fallen from grace; Lincoln was relegated to the limousine and car-service trade, and Cadillac had destroyed its reputation with the 4-6-8 engine and the barely-disguised Cavalier clone, the Cimarron. Chrysler had started to plunge downmarket in the 1970s, and Lee Iaccoca was already erasing any prestige the brand had by making thinly disguised Chrysler versions of entry-level Plymouths. Mercedes' quality was fairly low, Audi was suffering from the "unintended acceleration" debacle, and, in short, the competition was in tatters.

It was time for Toyota to create both a luxury car and a luxury brand to sell it with — the luxury brand mainly because Americans had become accustomed to brands with relatively narrow ranges (GM had no less than five brands to reach different markets; Ford and Chrysler both had three.) In the early 1980s, the F1 Project and assigned to an engineering team of 1,400 engineers, 2,300 technicians, 60 designers, and 220 support people under the leadership of Shoiji Jimbo and Ichiro Suzuki. Market research for the Lexus name in the United States started in 1985, with Shoiji Jimbo attending focus groups and interviewing dealers. The first running prototype appeared in July 1985, with an astounding 450 running prototypes built as Lexus spared no expense to beat Mercedes and other luxury marques - which it did, decisively. In 1986, tests were conducted on public roads in the US and Germany. Finally, in 1987, the final design was approved after eight presentations to management. The LS400 , the first Lexus, finally appeared in 1989.

It was an immediate hit thanks to its high levels of luxury and reliability, at a lower cost than Mercedes' far less reliable and luxurious models; the low ebb of the competition also helped Lexus to make a splash. Lexus would remain the leader in passenger car comfort and reliability through to the 21st century, though sales of other models - particularly the IS - lagged. Modern times Toyota instituted a three year, 36,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty starting in 1988, the same year the first Toyota-owned American factory started producing Camrys in Kentucky, to join the Corollas built in California. In 1999, Toyota Motor Corporation started listing its shares under the symbol TM on the New York Stock Exchange. Scion was begin in the early 2000s, starting with three cars based off the platform of the old Echo (but brought up to date and refined), with two engines - a small one for the xA and xB , and a 2.4 with an added 50 or so horsepower for the sporty tC .

Scion sales were immediately strong in the early-introduction states, leading to a nationwide (United States) launch that, with very little advertising, was still remarkably successful. Like most cars aimed at younger people, the Scions did not attract the younger buyers Toyota was hoping for, at least not in as large numbers as they wanted; but it still brought in a more youthful mix than Toyota or Lexus. Analysts suggested that Scion was brought in mainly because Toyota buyers were growing older, on average, with new Toyotas meant to attract younger audiences ( MR2 , Celica , Matrix) largely failing to achieve the goal of transforming Toyota's image as a vendor of dull but reliable and comfortable Camrys and Corollas . Today, Toyota is one of the world's largest manufacturers of automobiles in both unit sales and in net sales. In the United States, Toyota has roughly double the sales of Honda and is battling GM and Ford for #1. It produces over 5.5 million vehicles per year, equivalent to one every six seconds.

Toyota has tried, partly through sponsorship of numerous events, participation in many racing venues (including NASCAR), public relations around its (largely nonunion and Southern) American assembly plants, and other means, to position itself as just another American company, though no Americans appear to participate in serious decision-making at the Japan headquarters. While German automakers tend to use symbols and numbers, and Americans tend to throw away names frequently, Toyota sticks by a name as long as a car is successful, and doesn't toss names onto cars that don't fit them. The Land Cruiser started in 1950; the Corolla in 1966; the Celica in 1970; the Camry in 1983; the 4Runner in 1984. Notable "dropped" names include the Corona (with its tendency to die from severe rust), Cressida (dropped for the introduction of Lexus in the US), unpopular pickups ( T100 , HiLux, Compact Pickup ), and minivans ( Van, Previa ). Mergers and acquisitions In 1966, Toyota acquired Hino, which built trucks; commercial trucks from Toyota still carry the Hino name.

Hino is currently gaining in popularity in Europe, and is the sales leader for medium and heavy-duty diesel trucks in Japan. After building its first truck as far back as 1913 (when it was part of Tokyo Gas), what had been the truck division of Tokyo Gas (and which was now called Diesel Motor Industry Company) split off its commercial truck and diesel engine division into Hino; the remaining part of the company would become Isuzu. Hino did build standard cars for a time, using designs licensed from Renault, but stopped in 1967 to concentrate on heavy trucks (and avoid competing with the rest of Toyota). Hino currently makes a wide variety of heavy trucks and buses, and was involved in designing and/or producing the Tacoma, T100, 4Runner (HiLux Surf), Sequoia, and Tundra. In 1967, Toyota took control of Daihatsu (founded in 1907 as Hatsudoki Seizo Co., Ltd), but Toyota did not actually buy the whole company until 1999.

Daihatsu sold cars in the US from 1988 to 1992, with their Charade and Rocky making almost no impact; when Toyota bought into the company, it made a three-wheeled car and military four-wheel-drive vehicles. Daihatsu sold vehicles based on Toyotas, along, possibly, with its own designs; their small cars and four wheel drive vehicles have a following. Daihatsu supplies vehicles and major components to other automakers, and appears to be popular in South America. Denso was not acquired, but was simply spun off of Toyota after World War II; it was once Toyota’s electrical component division. It currently is a roughly $26 billion business with over 100,000 employees and over 170 subsidiaries, selling parts to many major automakers including American companies. Toyota Motor Corporation today In April 2002, Toyota adopted the 2010 Global Vision, a vision for meeting mobility needs in a way that respects the environment and all people.

Four key themes based on trends seen as developing from 2020 to around 2030 are: Toward a recycle-oriented society Toward the age of IT and ubiquitous networks Toward a mature society (the decline of nationalism and war) Toward motorization on a global scale (societies with little private transport gaining more) These are linked to the pursuit of a new global image for Toyota with four key components: kind to the earth, comfort of life, excitement for the world, and respect for all people. Whether Toyota lives up to that is a matter for debate. Who runs Toyota now? In 2009, Akio Toyoda took control of Toyota as President. Son of Shoichiro Toyoda, Akio Toyoda helped to get Toyota out of a Chinese joint venture gone bad and into a deal with China FAW Group; started a Web-based retailing venture in Japan; and is currently executive vice president in charge of purchasing, quality, product management, IT, and transport. Akio, born in 1957, had talked about taking the company beyond its Japanese roots, and emphasized styling and performance in the company’s vehicles, before the 2008-09 downturn.

Since then, he has emphasized returning to Toyota’s roots and giving up its drive for market share. In 2007: Hiroshi Okuda, Chairman. Born in 1933 - about the same time as Toyota itself - Hiroshi Okuda has been a member of the Board of Toyota Motor Corporation since 1982, and has been the Chairman of the Board since 1999. Mr. Okuda was the president of Toyota from 1995 to 1999, and is also a director of KDDI Corporation. Hiroshi Okuda joined Toyota in 1955, at about the time of the company's entrance to the United States market. He mainly worked in Toyota's international operations, and oversaw preparation of manufacturing plants in North America. He graduated from Hitostubashi University with a degree in business, and has a black belt in judo. Fujio Cho, President. Born in 1937 - not long after Toyota itself - Fujio Cho helped to speed Toyota's decision-making but cutting the number of board members in half, appointing three non-Japanese managing officers, and generally streamlining the management structure.

He graduated from the University of Tokyo in 1960 and became a production specialist, mentored by none other than Taiichi Ohno. He opened the first Toyota-owned factory in America in 1988. He is a third dan in kendo. It is worth noting the martial arts experience of the two top Toyota leaders. Martial arts require discipline, patience, and study; American leaders tend to be lawyers and accountants with experience in obfuscation and penny-watching. Some past leaders: Eiji Toyoda (president, 1967-1982), who kept Toyota on a low profile even as the company rapidly expanded and dramatically increased its quality and its rustproofing capabilities Shoichiro Toyoda (president, 1982-1992), who spread Toyota's manufacturing plants through the world and brought Toyota’s technology to the forefront, surpassing Honda and just about every other automaker, while increasing reliability even further History of Toyota City Toyota City sprung from Koromo Town, a thriving silkworm center in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

As the demand for raw silk fell, the city declined, until in 1934 it invited the newly formed Toyota to center there. The name was changed from Koromo to Toyota in 1959. The population is now 25 times its 1930 level, at 350,000. Toyota and the environment Toyota is fairly well known for having the best-designed hybrid-electric car, the Prius , which former Chrysler engineer Evan Boberg claimed in 2004 was the only car that actually saved fuel because of its hybrid design rather than coincidental features (such as lighter weight, efficient tires, and such). But Toyota's commitment goes much further. Their Australian unit's Earth Charter notes four principles: Contribution towards a prosperous 21st century: Aim for growth that is in harmony with the environment, and to challenge achievement of zero emissions throughout all areas of business activities and set as a challenge the achievement of zero emissions throughout all areas of business activity. Pursuit of environmental technologies: Pursue all possible environmental technologies, developing and establishing new technologies to enable the environment and economy to coexist harmoniously.

Voluntary actions: Develop a voluntary improvement plan, not only based on thorough preventative measures and compliance laws, but one that addresses environmental issues on the global, national and regional scales, and promotes continuous implementation. Working in co-operation with society:Build close and cooperative relationships with a spectrum of individuals and organizations involved in environmental preservation including governments, local municipalities as well as with related companies and industries. No environmental statement is meaningful unless it is actually followed - which is one reason why many are so angry at Ford, which made many promises, yet continued to push gas mileage downwards and fought even slight changes in fuel economy requirements. In Australia, Toyota has a balanced scorecard which notes specific outcomes and measures of environmental action, and uses a plan-do-check-act cycle to carry them out.

Question: Which car company produce a model called the 'Kangoo'?
Answer: Renault